Only one person can use Sling TV to watch
TV at a time. So if
you want to watch ESPN and your husband wants to watch the Food
Channel, you're out of luck.

You'll need a streaming
device like Roku to get Sling TV on your TV. Apple TV won't be
compatible, at least not immediately.

While ESPN is nice, the
service is missing lots of channels, including local
broadcasters like NBC, CBS, FOX, and ABC.

Then there's the cost. If you dig into what it would cost, it
doesn't look as if it will save you money.

It's $20 per month. But you still need to pay for an internet
connection.

It's difficult to figure out the price Comcast or Verizon will
really charge you for a TV-plus-internet bundle because their
websites are dense and unclear. But a look at Comcast's website
shows a TV-plus-internet package for $60 per month that includes
140 channels. For just internet, it's $40 per month.

So the price nets out to be roughly the same. If you want to
augment your TV viewing, you'll add Netflix, HBO Go, and other
things, which will increase your costs.

And the user experience is much worse. You have to flip from app
to app to find things you want.

If you really like TV, the best thing to do is subscribe to cable
or fiber.

However! Changes to the TV industry have to start somewhere. And
this appears to be a starting point.

If the big networks are willing to open up for Dish, maybe other
companies — Google? Apple? Amazon? Samsung? Some startup? — will
be able to take this model and figure out a way to lower prices
to consumers by monetizing something else.

For instance, Apple could offer free TV streaming for consumers
willing to pay $4,000 for a gorgeous 65-inch 4K Apple TV. If not
Apple, what about Samsung, or LG? Maybe
bundle in some Netflix? Build an HD antenna right into the TV
so it can deliver broadcast channels? Get the interface right,
and maybe then we'd have some change.

Since the internet demolished the music industry and the
newspaper business, pundits have been calling TV to die a similar
death. It hasn't happened. Instead, the TV industry is as strong
as ever. But money is
pouring into original programming from new players like Netflix,
Yahoo, Hulu, AOL, and Amazon. We are in the golden age of
television because of these new companies.

The death of TV will not
actually be the end of TV programming. Instead, it will be an
evolution. This deal from Dish could mark the beginning of that
evolution.